Poached Pear & Pomegranate Salad

Tender Fruit, Quietly Transformed

There is something almost meditative about poaching fruit — the slow simmer, the gradual softening, the way a pear surrenders itself to warmth and becomes something altogether new. This salad was born from that patience. The poaching liquid doesn't go to waste; it deepens and reduces into something dark and syrupy, a quiet reward for the time you've given it. The result is a dish that holds both sweetness and bite, softness and crunch — a balance that feels, somehow, like the best kind of autumn afternoon.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cups Alessi Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar
• about 3 cups water (enough to cover pears in pan)
• 1/4 cups honey
• Alessi Fresh Ground Black Peppercorns
• 3 pears, slightly firm - peeled, halved and cored, leave on stem
• 6 cups mixed leafy greans
• 1 cup pomegranate arils
• 1/2 cups Vigo Feta Cheese
• 4 tablespoons Alessi Pine Nuts

Instructions

1. In a saucepan just large enough to hold pear halves on their sides, combine ingredients for poaching liquid - vinegar, water, honey and dash of black pepper.
2. Bring to a boil, stirring until honey has dissolved.
3. Arrange pears on their sides in a single layer in poaching liquid.
4. Cover and simmer, turning occasionally, until tender, about 25 minutes.
5. Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer pears to a plate and let pears cool.
6. Once cool, thinly slice pears lengthwise.
7. To make a balsamic reduction, bring poaching liquid back to a boil; cook until slightly syrupy, deep brown in color, and reduced to 3/4 cup, about 15 minutes.
8. Liquid will continue to thicken as it cools.
9. Toss all salad ingredients together and drizzle with balsamic reduction.